


damsel in distress

by junietuesday25



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Genre: Action & Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Nonbinary Link (Legend of Zelda), Other, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:27:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29077083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junietuesday25/pseuds/junietuesday25
Summary: “Did you try to wake the Wind Fish?” Link asks finally.Marin turns away, staring down at the ocean below. “Yeah,” she says. “I know. It’s stupid. Only the Sirens’ Instruments will work. I just…”She sighs. “I don’t know. I’ve just always wanted to leave. I figured it was worth a try.”Link rescues Marin at the top of Tal Tal Heights.
Relationships: Link/Marin (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 10





	damsel in distress

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rays_Of_Write](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rays_Of_Write/gifts).



> happy birthday hibi!!! i really hope you like it, i know you love link’s awakening and you adore marin so take this little fic! all the heart emojis at you <333 and to all my other readers, i sincerely hope you enjoy!!

Link is resting in the Hen House, having just claimed the Organ of Evening Calm, when they hear a scream.

“Somebody, HELP!”

The yell seems to come from the west. The cucco keeper has to restrain the cuccos from going into a frenzy at the sound (“lost their fighting spirit,” Din’s right foot); Link puts down the cucco they were holding—gently, _very_ gently—before running outside and searching for the scream’s source.

Tal Tal Heights is cold and the breeze blows Link’s hair in their face as they turn towards the rickety bridge, held aloft only through old, fraying ropes. Their heart stops when they see who’s trapped in the center of it.

Marin stands precariously balanced on just a few wooden planks, dress and hair tossed wildly back and forth by the buffeting wind. The blue of her outfit and the pink of her hibiscus flower stand out sharply against the browns and oranges of the mountain range.

“Hey, Link!” Marin calls out. “Some monsters put me up here! What should I do?! I’m afraid of heights!!”

“Hold on!” Link yells.

The way that Link normally crosses the large gap is by using their hookshot, but they don’t know if Marin can catch it across that distance, or if Link can even throw it that far. Maybe if they use their hookshot to swing the roc’s feather over and she could use it to jump to the other side? But there’s a chance they’d hit Marin with the hookshot, and the plan is rather convoluted anyway.

They’re struck with an idea.

“Marin!” Link shouts. “If I go across with my hookshot, can you grab on as I pass you?”

“I can do it!” Marin nods determinedly, and ties her hair back.

Link normally uses their left hand to hold the hookshot, but this time, they need that strength to keep Marin from falling. Link grips the hookshot’s handle with their right hand and aims at a rock on the other side of the bridge. Their heart pounds; they know they can survive the drop if they fell down the cliff on their own, but Marin’s safety is on the line now, too. They haven’t even found any bottles throughout this whole quest, so they have no fairies as a safeguard should something go wrong.

Link takes a deep breath, steadying their hand.

“Ready?”

“I’m ready!”

With that, Link releases the hookshot, the claw shooting out and lodging right into the sturdy rock at the opposite end of the bridge. The chain retracts, pulling Link with it; as they pass Marin, they reach out their left arm and snag her around the waist. Marin holds tight as they pass over the final gap in just a few seconds.

Link lets go of the hookshot as the two collapse on the blessedly solid ground. Both Link and Marin are panting; then Marin bursts out into exhilarated laughter.

“Yow! That was a surprise!” Marin pulls herself upright, sitting on the dirt with her dress pooled around her. “Link, thank you!”

A long silence. Link tilts their head up to look at Marin from where they’re still lying on the ground. The golden sunlight haloes Marin’s face—her cheeks are slightly red.

“Say, Link,” Marin says finally, twisting her fingers in her skirt. “Uhh… I don’t know how to say this…but…”

She pauses, biting her lip. Link sits up properly, pointedly ignoring the heat rising to their own face. Marin’s words are…something…but that doesn’t mean that she’s _definitely_ …

There’s the sound of tumbling rock below, and both Link’s and Marin’s heads shoot up. Marin leans forward, looking at the mountain down below.

“MARIN!!”

Link looks down too. They spot Tarin running to the cliffside below them, panting with exertion. Link can’t blame the man—they don’t think they’ve ever seen Tarin move that fast. He seems to visibly deflate with relief when he spots Marin alive and unharmed on the mountain above.

“I’m okay!” Marin calls down. She turns to Link, keeping her voice low. “Uh… Nevermind, I… I gotta go!”

“I’m coming up there!” Tarin yells. “Try to meet me halfway!”

Marin nods. Before she leaves, she casts Link a long, indecipherable look, then rushes down the mountain.

Link watches her until she disappears from view. Then they put their face in their hands.

What was Marin going to say? Why didn’t _Link_ say anything? Will they be silent about their feelings even on the ship away from Koholint? Will they be traveling the whole world with Marin and still unable to speak up?

The rustle of wings alerts Link to company. They look up, and see the Owl slow down and perch itself on the span of the bridge Marin had been trapped on.

It hoots. “That girl sang her song in front of the Egg!” it says, almost incredulously. “Her Ballad of the Wind Fish is a song of awakening! Did she actually intend to wake the Wind Fish?!”

The Owl tells them that the next Instrument of the Sirens is in the west. But Link has another destination, first.

* * *

Link pushes open the door to Marin and Tarin’s house just a few minutes later—not only is Manbo’s Mambo a catchy tune, but it’s very useful for any tired adventurer who does _not_ want to hike all the way down a mountain.

“Link!” Tarin booms. Link shuts the door behind them, sitting in one of the chairs at the table. “Marin was telling me about earlier! You saved her life!”

Link scratches the back of their neck. “You’re welcome. It was no trouble.”

They chance a look at Marin, who’s sitting on the bed tuning her lyre. She doesn’t meet their eye; Link feels immensely awkward.

Maybe they should have gone up to investigate those “unliving stones” instead. They stumbled across a huge rock statue of a turtle a few days before, when they were attempting to fill out the last corners of their map. The Frog’s Song of Soul has to be the key to waking the statue and unlocking the final dungeon.

But Link doesn’t want this uncertain air to remain between them and Marin. When they set off for distant lands together, Link wants it to be lighthearted and fun, without any concerns to weigh them down.

Thankfully, Tarin has never been the overbearing sort of father, so Link simply walks up to Marin and asks her quietly, “Can we go to our secret place?”

Marin nods, but her eyes are distant. She stands up, turning to Tarin. “We’re going to take a walk.”

“Be back in time for dinner!” Tarin says, cheerfully as ever. 

Link’s heart flutters as they and Marin cross through Mabe Village and pick their way down Toronbo Shores. Dispatching the octoroks and leevers scattered across the beach is an almost welcome distraction from how warm their face feels.

The crashing waves and seagulls’ cries are just as soothing as they were the first time Link and Marin stayed here. Link sits and swings their legs over the cliffside; after a moment, Marin settles down as well.

They’re both silent, for a while. It’s unnerving; Marin is normally loud and talkative, quick to share any thought that comes to mind. But this time, Link will have to start the conversation.

“Did you try to wake the Wind Fish?” Link asks finally.

Marin turns away, staring down at the ocean below. “Yeah,” she says. “I know. It’s stupid. Only the Sirens’ Instruments will work. I just…”

She sighs. “I don’t know. I’ve just always wanted to leave. I figured it was worth a try.”

“It’s not stupid,” Link reassures her immediately. “I understand.”

And they do. Even before their adventures, they would pretend to be a pirate sailing to distant lands, or a traveling sellsword slaying monsters in every kingdom. There were bad parts to their quests, sure, but it’s a fair trade for _finally_ sating their wanderlust, among multiple other positives. Not only did Link get to travel across multiple realms of Hyrule, but throughout Holodrum and Labrynna and Subrosia too; Link loves Koholint dearly, but they can’t imagine being content living for so long on an island this small.

“Yeah,” says Marin, looking back up, “I know. But it’s okay—you just have one more instrument to collect, right? And then we can leave together.”

Link nods quickly. “We will. We can go anywhere you want.”

Marin grins at them. Her warm, dark eyes make a fuzzy feeling rise in Link’s chest; they have to look away before it tumbles out and spills between them. 

“I’d like to see your home first,” Marin says. “Hyrule sounds amazing.”

“It is.” Link sprawls back on the ground, legs still hanging over the cliffside. “I want to take you to meet my family. My uncle…” _My uncle will like you so much that he’ll tell me to get it together and propose._ “My uncle is the best. And my grandparents will love you—and you’ll like all their animals.”

Link hasn’t thought about all of their friends in a while. They’re hit with a wave of nostalgia; they washed up on Koholint sailing away from Labrynna, but that pair of journeys now feels so long ago. “I think you’d like Nayru—you both sing and play the lyre. And you’ve always wanted to fly!” Link rushes out the words, only just now making the connection. “I’ll have to introduce you to Moosh! It won’t be perfect, but—”

“Moosh?”

“He’s a flying bear,” Link explains. “He doesn’t like water, but he’ll take you anywhere else. He’s really cuddly and friendly; he even gets along with Maple—my witch friend—and she hates _everyone_ …”

Marin smiles again, though a bit more subdued. She stares out across the ocean, those normally sparkling eyes sad; Link sits up to look at her properly.

“What’s wrong?” they ask. They were supposed to be cheering Marin up!

Marin shakes her head. “Nothing. I’m fine.” She lets out a breath. “It’s just… You’re lucky to have met so many people.”

Link wants to reach out: touch her arm, hold her hand to comfort her. But the Triforce of Courage doesn’t seem to extend to interactions with other people; they’re still, silent. Why can’t they just _speak?_

“I mean, Mabe Village is just a few houses big!” Marin continues, more fervently. “So is Animal Village! As long as I can remember, I’ve only gone to these two small towns. You’ve been around the whole world!”

Marin crosses her arms close to her chest. “You just know everything about the outside world. I could take any book from the library and you’d have been to every place, seen every monster in it. What do you see in some clueless, sheltered island girl like me?”

_You’re hilarious. You’re intelligent. You make me happy whenever I spend time with you. You’re someone I want in my life forever. You’re a beautiful singer. You’re a beautiful person—_

The amount of sappy sweet in those musings could rot through Link’s teeth.

_Tone it down, you lovesick fool!_

“You’re not clueless,” Link says quickly. “You know everything there is to know about Koholint. You taught me the Ballad of the Wind Fish: our way off this island. We’ll get to sail as far as the winds will take us, and you can see—”

“You keep saying that,” Marin whispers, “but it feels too good to be true.”

Link goes quiet.

What can they say to that?

Silence, but for the rolling waves. After a moment, Marin musters up a grin. “Sorry,” she says. “I didn’t mean to make this all sad. What were you saying about your friends?”

But Link shakes their head.

“I don’t have to tell you,” Link says firmly. “You’ll get to find out on your own.”

Link gets to their feet. “The sooner I collect the Instruments of the Sires, the sooner we can leave,” they say. “You might want to start packing a bag—usually dungeons don’t take more than a day. Once I get that last instrument, I’ll climb straight to Mt. Tamaranch and wake the Wind Fish.”

“Are you sure?” Marin says, sounding alarmed. “You don’t want to rest first? Prepare? You just came back from the Eagle’s Tower!”

Link already collected the Seashell Sword from the old mansion, they’ve gathered a whole twelve heart pieces, and the heart container dropped by the Evil Eagle healed all of Link’s injuries. Of course, they’ll go stock up on some medicine from Crazy Tracy and buy some supplies from the Town Tool Shop before setting off, but other than that, there’s nothing else Link can really do to get ready for the final dungeon.

“I’m okay,” Link reassures her. “I’ve done this…thirty-one times, now. Tomorrow morning, we might already be able to leave!”

“You better be!” Marin says. She leans forward and pokes them hard in the chest. “I’ll never forgive you if you get yourself killed by a keese or something ‘cause you were too reckless! You’re my way off this island, y’know!”

Link laughs. 

“I’d never dream of it.”

**Author's Note:**

> muahaha >:p
> 
> 1) the title came to me in a flash and the alliteration made me go “should i make this part of silver of the sea?” but no i dont think it fits the continuity i set up w cyclone of the consciousness rip. but even the summary is a similar style lol
> 
> 2) unfortunately ive never played alttp, so thats why all links friends mentioned are from the oracle games (i love those games so much, keep an eye out for some future oracles fics :eyes:
> 
> comments and kudos are appreciated <3


End file.
